Jack Black was cast in “Borderlands”, the film adaptation of Lionsgate’s popular video game. He joins a list A group that includes Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Black will play the role of Claptrap, a persistently sarcastic robot who doesn’t invest as much in the survival of his teammates. Eli Roth, who previously collaborated with Black and Blanchett on the 2018 family comedy “House with a Clock on Its Walls”, is directing “Borderlands”
“I’m so excited to meet Jack, this time in the recording booth,” said Roth. “Claptrap is the funniest character in the game, and Jack is perfect for bringing him to the big screen.”
Nathan Kahane, president of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, says that choosing Black for the role was “one of the biggest right casting decisions we’ve ever made”.
“We couldn’t be more in sync with our filmmakers and casting executives as we approached this role,” said Kahane. “Everyone who’s ever played knows that Jack is perfect for this role. We are thrilled that he adds his infinite comic energy and voice to our film – he will bring a lot to the film. “
“Borderlands” is based on the RPG game released in 2009. The game, which spawned several sequels and stands out as one of the most successful franchises, takes place on the planet of Pandora. Craig Mazin, who created the acclaimed HBO miniseries “Chernobyl”, wrote the final draft of the script.
As previously announced, Blanchett plays the main protagonist Lilith, while Hart plays a skilled soldier named Roland. Curtis was cast as Tannis, an archaeologist who works on Pandora.
Avi Arad and Ari Arad are producing through their Arad Productions banner, with Erik Feig also producing through Picturestar. Randy Pitchford, executive producer of the “Borderlands” video game franchise and founder of the Gearbox Entertainment Company, is also an executive producer of the film with Strauss Zelnick, president and CEO of Take-Two Interactive.
James Myers and Aaron Edmonds are overseeing the project on behalf of Lionsgate. Emmy Yu is supervising the film for Arad Productions. Lucy Kitada and Royce Reeves-Darby are overseeing the Picturestar project. Robert Melnik negotiated the deal on behalf of Lionsgate.
Black recently starred alongside Hart in “Jumanji: The Next Level”, which grossed more than $ 800 million worldwide. He will then meet with “School of Rock” director Richard Linklater in the Netflix animated film “Apollo 10½: A Space Age Adventure”.
Black is represented by WME and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.